***Official Soccer Discussion Thread*** (2 Viewers)

[ffldrew]

Did many in the stadium catch the really cool moment where Cam was pushing the shovelers back to help him move forward? That came across as a lasting image for me on the telly.

Yep - saw that - but it was near the end and the crowd was going wild chanting USA and trying to bring it home - and the visual of the entire situation was insane. I was near the endzone with the Outlaws group and the whole scene was building up with the snow and guys with shovels running all over the place. The CR players were frustrated by the shovelers - you could see them yelling at the ref as they crossed the field during play.The grounds crew was busting their butt - and it is a shame that field wasn't played normally as it is in my opinion the best one in the MLS - a fantastic surface. Which makes the CR protests of conditions a joke because the field they use down there is a joke.

And BTW - snow is still falling maybe 10" or so since last night - it would have been hard to fit in today as well.

All the talk about the conditions fail to realize that it was barely snowing 30-60 minutes before the game started - but about 20 minutes in the flakes got a lot bigger and it was really coming hard. The field is slightly heated with pipes that run warm water under the pitch - but it was coming down hard and overwhelming the heaters. It was hard to see that it would have ended up in the condition it did at kickoff.

 

[NewlyRetired]

Here are some fun things to look for on Tuesday outside of Concacaf

1) Asia

a) South Korea is playing Qatar at home. If SK can take care of business as expected, it will put a slight dent in Qatar's chances of advancing. Asia is broken up into two groups of 5 teams. Top two teams in each group advance to WC. 3rd place teams in each group play against each other in a home and home to then play the 5th place team from South America. Qatar is currently in 4th in their group but are level on points with teams in 3rd and 2nd (SK in second does have a game in hand though).

b) If Japan defeat Jordan or they draw with Jordan and Aussie and Oman draw, Japan will become the first team (outside of Brazil) to officially qualify for the WC

2) Africa

Bob Bradley led Egypt are back in qualifying after a long layoff. They host bottom team Zimbabwe. 3 points at home and they will go a solid 5 points clear at the top of group with 3 games to go. Only 1 team from each group advances to next round

3) Europe

Two big Euro matches that could very well decide two different groups.

a) France hosts Spain. France is leading by 2 points. 3 points for France and this one may be done as France would go 5 points clear with just 3 games remaining and they don't have to play Spain again. Even a draw for France puts them in the drivers seat. Should be an awesome game on ESPN2.

b) Montenegro hosts England. Montenegro leads group by 2 points. 3 points would be huge here giving them the buffer they need for the return trip to Wembley. Still some tricky games for both sides to go. This game is on ESPNDeportes and ESPN3

4) South America

Great competition for the 4th and 5th spots(4th qualifies, 5th goes to playoff with Asia) as 4 teams are bunched together. Two of these teams meet where Chile hosts Uruguay. Coming down the back stretch of the long South American qualifying stage and every point is huge.

 

[Sebowski]

France hosts Spain. France is leading by 2 points. 3 points for France and this one may be done as France would go 5 points clear with just 3 games remaining and they don't have to play Spain again. Even a draw for France puts them in the drivers seat. Should be an awesome game on ESPN2.

This one is on at the same time (1PT) that Bolivia hosts Argentina in La Paz who last time they met Bolivia won 6-1.

 

[NewlyRetired]

ESPN is reporting that Jordi Alba is out for the France game.

 

[Christo]

FIRE!

 

[Tremendous Upside]

Jones out on Tues due to injury. Speculation is Edu will replace him.

 

[Christo]

Possibly the worst camera man in history working this Fire-Chivas game. I'm dizzy right now

 

[Dinsy Ejotuz]

Jones out on Tues due to injury. Speculation is Edu will replace him.

Meant to post the pic that Jones tweeted, but forgot. He had a nice hole in his leg just above the ankle on his right leg. Looked cleat-shaped. Guessing it was on the play where he went off the pitch for awhile in the 2nd half.

 

[NewlyRetired]

Jones out on Tues due to injury. Speculation is Edu will replace him.

Meant to post the pic that Jones tweeted, but forgot. He had a nice hole in his leg just above the ankle on his right leg. Looked cleat-shaped. Guessing it was on the play where he went off the pitch for awhile in the 2nd half.

Big game for Edu. With Mexico likely to come out all guns firing, we should probably expect Edu to squat in front of the front 4 all night.As a side note, hopefully we can actually run a set piece on Tuesday with out an immediate whistle every time.

 

[Christo]

Fire looking more inept than they did last year

 

[NewlyRetired]

Saprissa's field has been rated at 1 star by FIFA which means unless it is upgraded, they may have to play in the national stadium.

 

[Sebowski]

Jones out on Tues due to injury. Speculation is Edu will replace him.

Meant to post the pic that Jones tweeted, but forgot. He had a nice hole in his leg just above the ankle on his right leg. Looked cleat-shaped. Guessing it was on the play where he went off the pitch for awhile in the 2nd half.

Big game for Edu. With Mexico likely to come out all guns firing, we should probably expect Edu to squat in front of the front 4 all night.As a side note, hopefully we can actually run a set piece on Tuesday with out an immediate whistle every time.

Wahl is speculating Edu will play CB and Beckerman will play for Jones.

 

[Sebowski]

Ives' Projected starting lineup:

PROJECTED USMNT LINEUP vs. MEXICO—————Jozy Altidore———Herculez Gomez————–—————————Clint Dempsey—————————–—————Sacha Kljestan——-Michael Bradley—————-—————————-Maurice Edu——————————DaMarcus Beasley———————————Geoff Cameron—————Clarence Goodson—-Omar Gonzalez————–—————————-Brad Guzan——————————–

How I'ves would go:

So who would I start against Mexico? I would give this lineup a look:—————————-Jozy Altidore———————————————————-Clint Dempsey—————————–Eddie Johnson———–Sacha Kljestan———Herculez Gomez—————————-Michael Bradley—————————DaMarcus Beasley———————————Geoff Cameron————–Maurice Edu————Omar Gonzalez————–—————————-Brad Guzan——————————–

His reasoning for each

 

[NewlyRetired]

Awesome

US closed practice session

 

[T Bell]

Awesome

US closed practice session

Nothing a few laser pointers couldn't solve.

 

[The Gator]

made quite a few minor bets with clients of mine. I'm either going to have lunch paid for for quite a while after Tuesday, or I'm going broke at messican restaurants for the foreseeable future.

 

[NewlyRetired]

The fatty can ball

 

[T Bell]

The fatty can ball

Awesome. Can he play CB?

 

[NewlyRetired]

The fatty can ball

Awesome. Can he play CB?

Imagine if Lalas had that ability when he played?

 

[T Bell]

The fatty can ball

Awesome. Can he play CB?

Imagine if Lalas had that ability when he played?

We'd never hear the end of it... not that we'd notice.

 

[Ramsay Hunt Experience]

The fatty can ball

I knew Maradonna had let himself go a bit, but still.

 

[NewlyRetired]

I hope they can make a quick decision here and not let the process drag on in the hopes for some bribes

Costa Rica have apparently submitted a letter of protest with FIFA in the wake of their 1-0 loss to the US national team in last Friday's snowy 2014 World Cup qualifier at ****'s Sporting Goods Park outside of Denver. FIFA said it will look into the matter.''FIFA will now analyze the content of the letter and next steps will be determined in due course,'' FIFA said on Monday in a statement.On Sunday, the Costa Rican federation declared that the ''physical integrity'' of the match had been impacted, claiming that ''ball movement became impossible'' and field markings were not visible. They have reportedly asked that referee Joel Aguilar of El Salvador be punished, as well as the other match officials.The match was played in near-blizzard conditions, with grounds crewmembers constantly shoveling to clear the field lines and players struggling with their footing and ball control. If Aguilar had determined the situation was unplayable, according to FIFA regulations, the match would have had to be replayed within 48 hours. On the TV broadcast on Friday, the announcers stated that the match would be started from the point that it was stopped; however, the official regulations say the match would be replayed in full.However, it is unclear whether Costa Rica have complied with the formal procedures for a protest. These procedures include an on-field statement from the captain, who ''shall immediately lodge a protest with the referee in the presence of the captain of the opposing team.'' Following the match, the Costa Rican federation was required to to file written protests with the match coordinator within two hours, and with FIFA's administration by registered letter within 24 hours.

 

[Tremendous Upside]

The fatty can ball

Is that Maradona?

 

[NewlyRetired]

The draw for the U20 World Cup is today at 1:00pm.

 

[Steve Tasker]

Jones out on Tues due to injury. Speculation is Edu will replace him.

Meant to post the pic that Jones tweeted, but forgot. He had a nice hole in his leg just above the ankle on his right leg. Looked cleat-shaped. Guessing it was on the play where he went off the pitch for awhile in the 2nd half.

I saw that. Looked really painful.

 

[NewlyRetired]

If game is to be replayed from scratch, it turns out it would have been better to abandon in second half.

Still, it is going to take a pile of money from CR to get this replayed. It would set a bad precedent where teams are going to protest games more often that they lose.

Has anyone ever heard of a game being replayed from scratch that was completed? Have match fixed games even done that?

Jeff Carlisle (@JeffreyCarlisle)

3/25/13, 12:23 PM

FIFA spokesperson confirms in email that if game is abandoned,it picks up where it left off.Admits 2014 WC regs online are "not up to date."

 

[T Bell]

If game is to be replayed from scratch, it turns out it would have been better to abandon in second half. Still, it is going to take a pile of money from CR to get this replayed. It would set a bad precedent where teams are going to protest games more often that they lose. Has anyone ever heard of a game being replayed from scratch that was completed? Have match fixed games even done that?Jeff Carlisle (@JeffreyCarlisle)3/25/13, 12:23 PMFIFA spokesperson confirms in email that if game is abandoned,it picks up where it left off.Admits 2014 WC regs online are "not up to date."

The money play by the referee in order to "ensure" the game would count would have been to suspend it with one minute of extra time left. After all, you pick up where you left off if the game is suspended, so you don't have to replay it entirely if the challenge is successful following a full match.

 

[Mjolnirs]

Honestly, how often does FIFA overturn anything or agree with any match protest?

 

[T Bell]

Honestly, how often does FIFA overturn anything or agree with any match protest?

Highest bidder?

 

[berndog]

This makes me a little nervous. Does anyone know what the official regulations are?

Jeff Carlisle (@JeffreyCarlisle)

3/25/13, 12:23 PM

FIFA spokesperson confirms in email that if game is abandoned,it picks up where it left off.Admits 2014 WC regs online are "not up to date."

 

[NewlyRetired]

US with a very tough group for the U20 WC

US, France, Spain, African Team TBD

 

[NewlyRetired]

This is some good news. The is the first requirement for a protest

Grant Wahl (@GrantWahl)

3/25/13, 2:40 PM

US captain Dempsey says Costa Rica captain did not register protest in his presence to referee during game as required by Fifa rules.

 

[NewlyRetired]

This makes me a little nervous. Does anyone know what the official regulations are?

This is Fifa. Official regulations are purposefully vague and hard to come by. Allows for much easier corruption in any process.

 

[NewlyRetired]

The long rumored "trade" between Philly and Bahia (Brazil) is official.

Freddy Adu to Bahia

José Kléberson to Union

 

[berndog]

This makes me a little nervous. Does anyone know what the official regulations are?

This is Fifa. Official regulations are purposefully vague and hard to come by. Allows for much easier corruption in any process.

That is exactly what is making me nervous. As an aside I wonder what other responsibilities the captain has that I'm not aware of.

 

[Txns8]

This makes me a little nervous. Does anyone know what the official regulations are?

This is Fifa. Official regulations are purposefully vague and hard to come by. Allows for much easier corruption in any process.

That is exactly what is making me nervous. As an aside I wonder what other responsibilities the captain has that I'm not aware of.

Responsible for delivery of cash and call girl to all refs and/or official on site FiFA rep.

 

[Good Posting Judge]

Costa Rica does fairly well compared to the rest of Central America on the corruption index.

 

[dparker713]

made quite a few minor bets with clients of mine. I'm either going to have lunch paid for for quite a while after Tuesday, or I'm going broke at messican restaurants for the foreseeable future.

You didn't bet on the US to win did you?!? Even a draw is a decently long shot.

 

[CBusAlex]

If FIFA grants Costa Rica the do-over, I will literally eat my own balls. I understand that, to a man, they would sell their own mothers into sex slavery for the right price, but even by those standards it would be unfathomable.

 

[The Gator]

made quite a few minor bets with clients of mine. I'm either going to have lunch paid for for quite a while after Tuesday, or I'm going broke at messican restaurants for the foreseeable future.

You didn't bet on the US to win did you?!? Even a draw is a decently long shot.

I can't deal with these guys and not back our boys. Tax write off if we lose, never ending #### talking if we win.

 

[CBusAlex]

IMO, Ireland had a much better case, and FIFA basically dismissed it out of hand.

 

[Dinsy Ejotuz]

made quite a few minor bets with clients of mine. I'm either going to have lunch paid for for quite a while after Tuesday, or I'm going broke at messican restaurants for the foreseeable future.

You didn't bet on the US to win did you?!? Even a draw is a decently long shot.

I can't deal with these guys and not back our boys. Tax write off if we lose, never ending #### talking if we win.

Oof.See if you renegotiate a Champions League style home-and-away aggregate goals bet. The odds we get hammered in Mexico City tomorrow are pretty high IMO.

 

[The Gator]

If FIFA grants Costa Rica the do-over, I will literally eat my own balls.

 

[Dinsy Ejotuz]

IMO, Ireland had a much better case, and FIFA basically dismissed it out of hand.

What was the protest? Not familiar with this...

 

[The Z Machine]

IMO, Ireland had a much better case, and FIFA basically dismissed it out of hand.

What was the protest? Not familiar with this...

Henry handball sends Ireland packing from qualification. France goes on to do exceptionally well at WC2012.

 

[CBusAlex]

IMO, Ireland had a much better case, and FIFA basically dismissed it out of hand.

What was the protest? Not familiar with this...

In the second leg of their playoff against France, Thierry Henry handled the ball twice on what turned out to be the winning goal. The refs didn't see it and allowed the goal to stand. After the game, both Henry and the refs admitted that it was the wrong call.Ireland petitioned for a replay, but FIFA refused, saying that the referee's decisions are final, regardless of whether they're right or wrong.

 

[Dinsy Ejotuz]

IMO, Ireland had a much better case, and FIFA basically dismissed it out of hand.

What was the protest? Not familiar with this...

Henry handball sends Ireland packing from qualification. France goes on to do exceptionally well at WC2012.

Oh... I thought it was something weather related. Not sure how much that incident would be relevant here.Tend to think FIFA wants no part of this protest though. The Ref made a decision and the Costa Ricans didn't dot their Is or cross their Ts right either.Plus, if it comes down the Baksheesh I'd like to think the US has more palm grease than Costa Rica.Between us knocking them out of the WC last time around and the blizzard game I'd imagine that even more than normal we'll be public enemy #1 for the away game in Costa Rica.

 

[T Bell]

Costa Rica does fairly well compared to the rest of Central America on the corruption index.

Yeah, but this is footy.

 

[T Bell]

IMO, Ireland had a much better case, and FIFA basically dismissed it out of hand.

You even had Henry admitting to the hand ball and France offering a reply and FIFA rejected it. That's ridiculous to me.

 

[CBusAlex]

Oh... I thought it was something weather related. Not sure how much that incident would be relevant here.

Well, in both cases you have one federation asking for a replay based on a bad decision by the ref. In Ireland's case, absolutely everyone involved - both teams, the ref, and FIFA themselves - agree that it was a bad decision. Unless there's some rule I'm not aware of that says matches have to be suspended if there's more than X inches of snow on the field, Costa Rica is asking for their replay on something that's really a judgement call on the part of the official. So that's an additional hurdle they have to clear just to get to Ireland's level, which was laughed off the table.